Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Friday that three oil tankers had encountered incidents while trying to use routes Tehran considers unauthorized in the eastern and western sections of the Strait of Hormuz, and that all were stopped in the waterway's southern waters.
The reports came as Qatari mediators returned to Tehran to continue efforts to broker an agreement between Iran and the United States. The Guard gave no details about the tankers' identities, flags, the precise cause of the incidents or the condition of their crews.
According to Iranian state media, the Guard claimed the tankers had switched off their navigation and positioning systems and were trying to leave the strait with U.S. military support. It said the vessels kept sailing despite repeated radio warnings before running into trouble in what it called unsafe areas.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, or UKMTO, reported separately that a small boat approached an oil tanker on Thursday evening and attached two explosive devices to its hull above the waterline. The devices detonated, starting a fire in the engine room and temporarily disabling the vessel. The Financial Times identified the tanker as the Louise 1.
The attack happened about 25 nautical miles (46 kilometres) northeast of Khasab, Oman. UKMTO said the fire was put out, all crew were safe and no pollution was reported. The tanker then resumed its voyage. It was not immediately clear who was responsible or whether the attack was linked to the Guard's claims.
Oman's Maritime Security Centre said on Friday that the Royal Navy of Oman had evacuated 25 crew members from a Panama-flagged commercial vessel that came under attack and caught fire about 1.6 nautical miles off the coast of Musandam. It did not name the vessel or those responsible.
On Thursday, the Guard said three tankers had struck naval mines along the strait's southern route, causing explosions and fires, and Iran's regular military reported another tanker on fire in the eastern strait. It is unclear whether the two tankers in Friday's Guard statement are among those vessels.
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, reiterated that the strait's main shipping lanes had been cleared of Iranian mines. He also claimed Iran's navy had been destroyed and that Guard forces were no longer operating in the waterway. CENTCOM rejected a Guard claim from Thursday that it had taken control of an American MQM-170 Outlaw drone. Iranian sources said an American unmanned surface vessel was destroyed in the eastern strait on Friday; the U.S. military had not confirmed or denied that.
Iran has demanded that ships coordinate with Iranian authorities and use routes closer to the strait's northern shores. Ships seeking to avoid Iranian control have used the southern route.
CBS News, citing a source familiar with the negotiations, reported signs of progress and said Iran was expected to respond to a revised Qatari proposal by the end of the week. Axios reported that mediators were seeking common ground on inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities and sanctions relief, while disagreements remained over conditions for formally opening negotiations.
Axios also reported that the United States and Israel were weighing options for extensive strikes on Iran after the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections. The Associated Press, citing two diplomats, reported Thursday that Washington had warned regional allies about possible renewed attacks and Iranian retaliation, though President Donald Trump had not made a final decision.
Trump told a Kansas City radio station on Friday that the war would end "soon," without saying whether through diplomacy or military action. He reiterated that Washington wants guarantees Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon.
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